Modern anti-neoplastic drugs are highly toxic. Health care personnel who formulate, administer and clean surfaces that have contacted these drugs may be at risk of developing a number of adverse effects including cancer and fetal loss. By far the most commonly employed anti-neoplast is adriamycin (doxorubicin). This a member of a class of drugs which have the anthracycline structure. A second common anthracycline anti-neoplast is daunomycin also called daunorubicin.
Only two studies have been published reporting any environmental sampling of anti-neoplastics in the hospital setting. Both these papers reported airborne levels of anti-neoplastics though neither study developed methods for generalized use in airborne exposure assessment. Neal et al 1983 conducted air sampling for four drugs fluorocil, adriamycin, methotrexate and cyclophosphamide with teflon filters at drug mixing counters at three hospitals. Adriamycin was detected by fluorescence with an exitation at 239 nm and 550 emission cut off. The other three drugs were separated with high performance liquid chromatography and detected spectra photometrically.
The use of fluorescence as a sensitive and selective analytical tool is well established. It is one of a number of techniques which exploit the interaction of light, or more broadly electromagnetic radiation with matter.
When light comes into contact with matter it can be reflected, transmitted or absorbed. If it is absorbed, energy is transferred to the material whereupon two things can happen. The material either heats up or the light is re-emitted. In fluorescence or phosphorescence light of a particular wavelength is absorbed, then a certain portion of this energy is lost to enhance molecular vibration and finally the light is re-emitted at a longer wavelength.
The ability of the individual to perceive fluorescence is an important part of the detection process. Dark adaptation of the eye or scotopic vision requires approximately 20 minutes, at which time the eye will be most sensitive to light of lower intensities. For this reason, ultraviolet exitation of fluorescence is preferred for observation purposes. Since the ultraviolet light cannot be detected by the human eye it provides an ideal source of exitation light for fluorescence and subsequent detection, presuming the material studied in fact absorbs in the ultraviolet range. Adriamycin does in fact have an absorption peak from 200 to 300 nm falling well within the ultraviolet range.
Unfortunately, ultraviolet light is considered to have carcinogenic potential. When added to the potential carcinogenic substances already on the skin, the risk of carcinogenic effects may be increased. See Parrish et al 1978.
Several investigators have utilized ultraviolet stimulated fluorescence of adriamycin to detect its presence. Although the absorption spectrum of adriamycin includes bands both in the ultraviolet and visible spectrum neither per se is suitable for study. As indicated the ultraviolet light is believed to have carcinogenic potential. Further, the shining of a light in the visible range will have a masking effect reducing the effectiveness in detection of minute amounts of adriamycin. Further this will have particular negative effects in quantitative evaluation of adriamycin present in the environment.